I don't think I could possibly convey just how much Anna Lyke means to me and my family. The tldr here is there's nothing to talk about. If you have the opportunity to bring Anna on at any point in your child's life, do it. And if you need further convincing, I cried the whole time I wrote this. Anna was with us from the night we came home from the hospital to sleep training our son 4 months later. I have never come across anyone more knowledgeable (really cannot overstate just how knowledgeable), compassionate, or nonjudgmental. After a very scary and emotional delivery, Anna came into our home and took care of me and my newborn baby with such grace, compassion, and utter professionalism. In the first few weeks after our son was born, Anna was our absolute lifeline, not only making sure we all felt cared for and safe, but also teaching us everything we needed to know from how to feed and bathe our son to establishing early sleep and wake best practices. Though I had avidly researched every trimester, I was completely clueless about what to do when our son actually arrived. There wasn't a single moment where I didn't feel absolute confidence in Anna's instincts and methods, I trusted her so completely that I, an otherwise pretty type A person, told her to do whatever she thought was best across the board. I'm glad I did because we have such a calm and chill baby and I know we owe that to Anna's demeanor and how effectively she built our confidence and set us all up for success. Anna was incredibly flexible from day one and knew what my needs would be before I even realized myself, let alone voiced them. I firmly believe I wouldn't have breastfed for as long as I have if I didn't have Anna supporting me as I navigated learning how to. Before hiring Anna, I had concerns about someone we didn't know being in our space during such an emotional time. If that feels like you, I have two anecdotes: 1. My husband loves to tell the story about our first night without Anna after our son was born. In the haze of postpartum, I had forgotten what night it was, and I was certain Anna was coming that night. But when my husband said it would just be the two of us that evening, I went from totally content to inconsolable in an instant. 2. By the end of our time with Anna, we would ask her to come hours early, *especially* if our son was already asleep, just so we could hang and chat about our days (related and unrelated to the baby). Now, 2.5 months later, I miss Anna every day and text her constantly because I'm in denial about her having moved on. She continues to be such a resource to us as we navigate milestones and sleep/nap schedules. I am eternally grateful for her being with us during such an all consuming time and giving me and my family the tools we needed to continue on without her.
— Rachel J.
